Kinship: It’s All Relative; Expanded Second Edition

Who is your kin? The answer is not always as clear as it may seem. Culture, laws, and personal opinions all play a part in who people consider to be their kin. From marriage and divorce to childbirth, surrogacy, and adoptions the opinions and legal definitions have varied widely over time and differ from place to place. Differences don’t just exist between different countries and areas of the world, but even state by state laws can vary widely. Jackie Smith Arnold tries to unravel some of the complexity behind family relations in her book Kinship: It’s All Relative; Expanded Second Edition.

Jackie provides clarity and consideration to modern concerns and issues around family ties. Right up front, in chapter one, she explores kinship and why it matters. She gives an overview and consideration to just about every family connection we see in today’s world. In marriage there are options you may not even be aware of. Did you know proxy marriage are possible, as are secret marriages? Arnold makes a point of note that while there are secret marriages there are no secret divorces in the U.S. What exactly is a common-law marriage and which states allow them? You can find out in the book.

What makes up a family? This expanded second edition attempts to answer that very question; including an newly appended chapter on same-sex marriages. The chapter on family covers issues, including, children, foster children, adoptions, illegitimate children, adult adoptions, family responsibilities to relatives, and more. Chapter by chapter you will likely find some tidbit of information you were not aware of. If you have ever wondered how to explain complex family relations, like third cousins once removed, well that is in here as well.

Kinship: It’s All Relative; Expanded Second Edition is fun and educational at the same time. If you ever thought family relationships were complex, you were right. However, Arnold’s book will help you clear up any misunderstandings as well as open your eyes to a whole new modern world of concerns on both a legal as well as a personal level. To be clear, this book does not provide legal definitions, but rather looks at how laws are different across the country and how legal definitions of family have changed over time. This is not a legal manual, but rather a guide to help families and individuals better understand what kinship really is.